Sign flashing device



June 20, 1939. w N. OLSQN SIGNFLASHING DEVICE Filed June 21, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

WALDEMA N. OLSON 7 A TORNEY.

4 8 5 v 3 4 3 Y Y 4 4 4 B M 4 4 l a 4 M 9 O 4 3 4 3 4 M W 8 6 5 5 f Z June 20, 1939. w N OLSON 2,163,055

SIGN FLASHING DEVICE Filed June 21, 193'7 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENT OR.

' P 58 w LDEMAR 01 s0- BY M7 0' ATTORNEY.

Patented June 20, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE SIGN FLASHING DEVICE poration of Illinois Application June 21, 1937, Serial No. 149,281

2 Claims.

This invention relates to flashers and more particularly to electric sign flashers, although certain features thereof may be employed with equal advantage for other purposes. This application is a continuation in part of my copending application, Serial Number 658,125 and filed February 23, 1933.

It contemplates more especially the provision of a simple, compact and dependable high speed flasher unit which requires minimum motive power and entails negligible maintenance requirements.

Numerous types of flashers have heretofore been proposed for multiple electrical circuits, but these are not entirely satisfactory for neon tube systems of high potential requiring high speed action and dependable operation over an extended period of time. This is especially of importance in electric sign systems involving the neon tube illuminators, since high potential sign systems of this character prove very troublesome to flashers of ordinary construction. Then, too, there are innumerable small sign installations where the flashers of known construction are en- 25 tirely too expensive, intricate and of such bulk as to preclude their practical adoption. Flashers for this purpose must be impervious to climatic precipitation and foreign substances so that the working parts should be completely shielded for protection against foreign substances, precipitation and all adverse operating effects.

One object of the present invention is to simplify the construction and improve the operation of flashers for high potential electric sign systems. 35 Another object is to provide a flasher for high potential electric systems which is compact, simple and inexpensive in construction.

Still another object is to provide a flasher for a high potential electric sign system which is dependable in operation, entails negligible maintenance requirements, and has the essential parts thereof fully shielded.

further object is to provide a more compact electric sign flasher unit which is positive in op- 45 eration over an extended period of time with little or negligible wear on the coacting elements.

A. still further object is to provide a self-contained electric sign flasher which requires a minimum motive power and avoids or renders negli- JO gible destructive wear between the coacting elements.

Still a further object is to provide a simple, compact and more eiflcient self-contained flasher which is entirely insulated against possible short 55 circuiting in a high potential system.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description of an illustrative embodiment of the present invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional view in elevation of a flasher unit embodying features of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view of a circuit capable of embodying a flasher constructed in accordance with the teachings of the instant invention.

Figure 3 is a perspective View of the motor shaft and control arm shaft geared together and viewed substantially from line III-III of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view in elevation of a modified embodiment of the flasher shown in Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a view of the control arm taken substantially along line VV of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a plan view of the rotary terminal taken substantially along line VIVI of Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a view in elevation of the rotary electrode shown in Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a bottom View of the central elec trode taken substantially along line VIIIVII I of Figure 1.

The structure selected for illustration comprises a container housing I0 having a detach- .ably associated top closure H provided with a peripheral flange i2 to telescopically receive the open top edge of the housing H! for totally enclosing instrumentalities to be hereinafter described. The instrumentalities confined in the container housing It are, in this instance, supported by a substantially U-shaped plate frame 13 riveted or otherwise attached to the underside of the removable top closure II. The instrumentalities comprise an electric motor [4 of the disc type supported by a bracket I5 depending from the closure frame 13. The motor supporting bracket I5 is attached to vertical confronting frame plate members [6 and I! anchored with a plate [8 to the bottom of the housing i0. A shaft !9 is vertically journalled intermediate the horizontal member of the frame 53 and the bottom plate member 58.

A circular disc 26 is fixed to the shaft 19 for horizontal support between confronting shading poles 2| and 22. The shading pole 22 constitutes the armature of a coil 23 supported between the frame l3 and the bracket l5 constituting a part of the motor assembly. A speed adjusting lever 24 is operatively connected to the shading pole 22 5'.

for enabling flasher regulation as will appear more fully hereinafter. A pair of wire leads 25 and 26 are connected to the extremities of the coil 23 to connect an external source of electrical energy thereto, thereby producing a field between the poles 2| and 22 for imparting rotation to the motor disc 20 with its shaft I9.

The motor shaft l9 extends upwardly and has a pinion gear 2! thereon for meshing engagement with a spur gear 28 carried by a shaft 29 journalled in spaced parallelism to the motor shaft l9 (Figures 1 and 3). It is to be noted that the shaft 29 projects through the lower horizontal plate of the frame I3 disposed within the container housing IE] to carry a rotor 38 preferably constructed from insulation material such as porcelain or glass. The rotor 35 carries a metallic control member 3| which is stamped or otherwise shaped from electrical conductive material such as bronze to present a terminal contact 32 constituting one extremity thereof. The control member 3| is preferably flat and attached to the top surface of the rotor by means of screw fasteners 33 to assume a substantially horizontal position to bridge the space between a common central electrode and a plurality of radially disposed electrodes for flashing a continuous current from one circuit to another as will appear more fully hereinafter.

The rotor 30 with its control member 3| cooperates with a distributing stator comprising a cap 34 molded or otherwise shaped from insulation material such as porcelain or glass of rectangular configuration presenting corners 35 to receive studs 35 therethrough for fastening connection to the top closure wall l of the container housing If}. As shown, the cap 34 has a substantially circular depending portion 57 projecting through a correspondingly shaped aperture in the top container wall H, the exterior portion there of being somewhat larger to present a peripheral flange 38 that has the rectangular corners 35 formed therein. The cap 34 is provided, in this instance, with a plurality of upstanding terminal bosses 59, in this instance six, in circumferentially spaced relation, molded integrally to the cap 35 for the reception and support of a corresponding number of electric conductive terminal rods 5 extending axially therethrough. A central terminal boss 3| is disposed axially of the terminal bosses 39 for the reception and support of a terminal rod 42 therein.

The terminal rods 55 and 412 are preferably constructed from suitably electrically conductive .material such as copper for extension through the terminal bosses 39 and 5|, respectively, and terminate externally in threaded studs 53 to enable the attachment of lead wires 45 thereto. The bottom extremities of the terminal rods are provided with threaded terminal heads that extend in the circumferential path of the control arm terminal 32, the arcing gap therebetween being adjustable and maintained against variation by lock nuts 56 that engage the terminal heads 55. It is to be noted that the internally depending cap portion 3? has a central cavity 47 provided therein so as to accommodate a central terminal head 55 which. in this instance, is of hexagonal shape and threaded to the central terminal rod 52 for adjustable spaced arcing relation with the control arm 3|. A spring plate 59 is assembled with a safety electrode disc 58 for attachment to the central terminal post 42, the spring plate 49 projecting through a slot 5| in the safety electrode 55 to aiford contact with quency oscillations.

a flat side surface of the hexagonal central terminal head 48 to preclude the accidental movement thereof and serve as a lock plate thereof (Figure 8) A spacer collar 52 envelops the central terminal rod 42 and threaded nuts 53 and 54 hold the lock plate 49 and safety electrode 5|] in assembled operative position on the central post 42. As shown, the common terminal 52 has a lead wire 55 extending therefrom to the secondary terminal of the transformer 55. The other terminals 40 have the lead wires 44 in multiple with any desired combination of symbols or letters defined by gaseous tubes 51 of the neon type having a terminal thereof connected to lead wires 58 which are in electrical connection with the other secondary terminal of the transformer 55. Any desired or necessary resistors or chokes 59 may be interposed between the lead wire 58 and its corresponding secondary terminal of the transformer 55 as conditions or any particular installation may require to dampen the radio fre- The circuit is thus complete and sequentially closed by the flasher control to impart animation or the effect thereof to any sign or symbol defined by the particular component gaseous tube elements 51.

It is to be noted that the control arm 3| does not frictionally contact the terminal 55 or the central terminal 48 which are in the path thereof, but multiple circuits are successively energized through the electrical are established between the arm 3| of the rotor 38 with its nearest mul-.

tiple terminal 35 while an arc is always maintained. between the central terminal 48 and said control arm 3|, thereby requiring minimum motive power for the operation of the rotor 21 and minimizing wear on all relatively moving parts. The speed of the rotor 35 which controls or regulates the visual effect produced by the sign through the successive energization of the component Neon tube elements 51, is variable by shifting the adjusting lever 25, thereby rendering the sign system variable and capable of adaptation to most any type of visual effect desired or required in any particular installation.

It is to be noted that the dished safety electrode associated with or around the rod 32 is sized and spaced so that the distance between the surface thereof and the control arm Si is within arcing range through greater than the normal are or arcing distance between the latter and the secondary terminals 65 plus the equivalent arc of the tube in series with the normal are. In this instance, the dished member constitutes an electrode mounted directly on the terminal rod 42 in electrical contact therewith. This serves to permit the arc to jump the above described greater or safety gap between the safety electrode 5|) and the control arm 3| in the event one or more of the gaseous tube sections 51 should fail due to leaks or breakage. As a result, the transformer 56 will be protected from being opencircuited and the impairment thereof due to high voltages and/or high frequency oscillations, is precluded.

It will be observed that there is no frictional contact between the control arm 3| and the common electrode terminal 58 or the secondary terminals 45. A continuous alternating current of substantially constant frequency and having a voltage sufficiently high through the influence of the transformer 56 to jump the gap between the control arm 3| and the terminals 45 l8 thereby establishing circuits between said control arm and the terminal connected sections of the gaseous tubes 5|. The control arm 3| cooperates with the primary terminal 48 and one of the secondary terminals at a time to provide a path for an are which closes a circuit to the corresponding tube 51. The resistance of the gap between the control arm 3| and the succeeding secondary terminals 45 progressively decreases until a path of less resistance to the next secondary terminal is provided, thereby extinguishing the arc between the control arm 3| and one of the terminals 45 to switch the circuit connections and the continuous current to the succeeding secondary terminal 45 responsive to the continuous rotation of the motor shaft 19 which imparts continuous rotation to the shaft 39 carrying the supporting rotor 36. This switching from one secondary circuit to another is effected while the current is constantly flowing so as to provide a continuous animated electrical eifect without any interruption during the switching operations.

While there is no frictional contact between the control arm 3| and the terminals 4548 in the embodiment disclosed in Figure 1, yet in some installations and under certain operating conditions, it may be desirable to establish direct electrical contact between the primary terminal 48 and the control arm 3|. Contact is established between the relatively rotating member by means of any suitable structure such as illustrated in Figure 4 wherein the primary terminal 48 is in contact with the control arm 3! through the urge of a spiral spring 49'. The spiral spring 49 is disposed beneath the dished safety electrode 50, and the central terminal rod 42' is electrically connected to the primary terminal 48' through electric conducting wire 60.

It will be observed that the spacer collar 52 envelops and threadedly engages the central terminal rod 42' to retain the safety electrode 50' over the lower peripheral shoulder thereof for retention by a nut 53' that threadedly engages the exterior of the spacer collar 52'. In this embodiment, the spiral spring 49 serves the function of urging the primary terminal 48' in frictional contact with the control arm 31', while in the preferred embodiment the spring 39 serves to preclude accidental displacement of the primary terminal 48.

Various changes may be made in the embodiment of the invention herein specifically described without departing from or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention or any of the features thereof, and nothing herein shall be construed as limitations upon the invention, its concept or structural embodiment as to the whole or any part thereof except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a sign flasher of the character described, the combination with a split housing including a cap member of insulator material, of circumferentially spaced terminals of electric conductive material mounted in said cap member, a shaft journalled for rotation in said housing, a control arm attached to said shaft within said split housing and axially of said circumferentially spaced terminals, a central terminal mounted in said cap member for electrical connection to said control arm, and an electrode fixed to said central terminal at a fixed distance from all of said circumferentially spaced terminals to present a safety gap somewhat greater than the gap defined between said circumferentially spaced terminals and said control arm.

2. In a sign flasher of the character described, the combination with a split housing including a cap member of insulator material, of circumferentially spaced terminals of electric conductive material mounted in said cap member, a shaft journalled for rotation in said housing, a control arm attached to said shaft within said split housing and axially of said circumferentially spaced terminals, a central terminal mounted in said cap member for electrical connection to said control arm, and a circular disc-like electrode fixed to said central terminal at a fixed distance from all of said circumferentially spaced terminals to present a safety gap somewhat greater than the gap defined between said circumferentially spaced terminals and said control arm.

WALDEMAR N. OLSON. 

